An American from Highland Park, Michigan, has drawn attention after sharing a heartbreaking response to a report on declining birth rates in the United States. A post on r/Productivitycafe asked why the country is experiencing what has been described as a record low in the number of women having children. While the post itself attracted thousands of views, one individual’s comment received nearly half as many upvotes as the original post, suggesting that many others strongly related to the sentiment expressed.
The Reddit post began with a thought-provoking question from marktwin11, accompanied by an infographic claiming that more than half of U.S. women ages 20 to 29 are childless. In response, Reddit user HandOverFist112 made a candid statement: “Can’t guarantee a child a good life if I can’t even have one myself.” After receiving more than two thousand upvotes, they expanded on the reasons behind their perspective.
The commenter explained how they grew up in extreme poverty and suffered child abuse in their younger years. “Bringing a child up purposely when me and my partner are struggling is weak parenting, and I refuse to repeat the cycle,” they wrote. This sentiment resonated with numerous others, and plenty of commenters expressed the same feelings in their responses.
Numerous Users Shared the Same Sentiment, With Some Claiming Not Having Children As ‘Protesting’
“We are not responsible for creating the servants for billionaires,” remarked an individual. Another person, claiming to be Native American, said that “The highest form of protest is not having children for the government needs the governed.” They added how they believe the population has been punished to no end by the societal system the government has in place. “The Epstein files are just exposing America for what it’s always been,” they expressed.
Other people shared their tragic stories of working hard, saving up money, and doing their best to stay out of debt. But in the end, tragedy struck, or their motivation gradually faded due to circumstance, leaving them hopeless to recover. “I can’t see a stable financial future for myself for a while after trying so hard, so I can’t picture what adding an expense like children in the mix,” wrote one commenter.
According to CBS, the U.S. birthrate reached an all-time low in 2024 and fell to record levels again in 2025. This year, speculation continues that the trend may not improve, with outlets such as ZME Science reporting that the shortage of certain types of housing in the U.S. has effectively become a form of “Ultimate Birth Control.”
Given statistics like these, along with the country’s current social and economic climate, it’s easy to understand why this Michigan Reddit user—and countless others—feel such deep uncertainty about raising children.
